Are We Losing the Battle to Save Our Planet?

Brandon Sun “Small
World” Column, Sunday, October 21/07Zack
Gross

Policymakers often move at a snail’s pace to deal with the
environmental challenges that face us, even though a recent survey
showed that 100% of the world’s reputable scientific community is
convinced that global warming and drastic climate change are a
reality.

Consumers may worry about our future on a philosophical level, but when
it comes to action, the vast majority seems happy to purchase the
latest hi-tech hydro-draining and polluting gadgets, drive gas-guzzling
cars, and use cleaning and gardening products that poison our air, soil
and water.

Some observers of global economic, social and environmental realities
are saying now that we are no longer “developing” the
planet – and bettering the position of the poor – but
rather we are “fighting fires” and playing a game of global
survival. This is a game we are losing. We are not even
holding our own. Natural disasters, wars and the scourge of
disease are getting the upper hand.

This crisis is manifested in the storms, mudslides and earthquakes that
have hit Asia and the area around the Gulf of Mexico in recent years,
in the regional wars in the Middle East, Western Asia and Central
Africa, and in the spread of HIV / AIDS, which has devastated
communities and economies, particularly in East and Southern
Africa. The Earth is a mess and climate change and the fight over
resources are at the heart of the problem.

There are still voices of hope, however, and Manitoba is home to many
of those voices. Our province hosts the International Institute
for Sustainable Development (IISD), an organization set up by the
federal government back in the Mulroney days to undertake, in
particular, research projects on environmental concerns.

Some twenty years later, the IISD boasts of offices in New York,
Geneva, Winnipeg and elsewhere and has become a well-known authority on
sustainable development issues around the globe. Its budget
stands at about $12 million per year from a variety of sources,
including government, United Nations, philanthropic organizations and
the private sector.

IISD’s vision is “better living for all –
sustainably” and its mission is “to champion innovation,
enabling societies to live sustainably.”
IISD advances policy recommendations, based on its research, on
international trade and investment, economics, climate change and
energy, measurement and assessment, and natural resources
management. Internationally, it focuses on building the capacity
of Third World development practitioners and improving the dialogue on
sustainability issues between the North and the South.

Donna Huffam is Media & Communications Officer at IISD in
Winnipeg. She is one of the hopeful ones and says that Manitoba
is leading the way, focusing on meeting Kyoto targets, developing
hydro-electricity and offering rebates on hybrid vehicles. She
also points out that the European Union is meeting its Kyoto targets
but she won’t comment on our federal government’s stand on
Kyoto and the previous administration’s championing of
environmental causes.

Huffam says that humanity has created the problems that face our global
eco-system, and it is up to us now to solve them. She calls the
IISD a leader in working at all levels – with local communities
and world leaders - on these challenges, from algae blooms in Lake
Winnipeg to the relationship between conflict and conservation in the
Great Lakes Region of Central Africa. “We’re not just
a think-tank, ”she says, “We’re also a do-tank!”

With pride, Huffam also extols the virtues of the IISD’s Intern
Program which has sent 30 young Canadians around the world working on
six-month environmental projects each year for the past 10. The
specific internships make a difference and tracking of alumni from the
program show that almost all stay involved in sustainable development
efforts at the professional level once they begin their careers.

The IISD also “walks the talk” in its own operation, making
efforts to avoid further environmental harm, for instance, by
videoconferencing rather than traveling for meetings. The
organization has also been asked for advice, by a number of
international aid groups, on doing their work more efficiently.

Maybe there are some hopeful signs that humanity will take on and solve
some of the potentially catastrophic environmental situations that face
us. Certainly, the IISD is confident that it can make a
difference.

Zack Gross is
program
coordinator at the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation
(MCIC), a coalition of 36 international development organizations
active in our province.